Coin acceptance and collection systems are used in a wide variety of applications, including telephones, vending machines, coin operated appliances and the like. To increase the profitability of such coin-operated machines and appliances, coin separator/rejecters are required to be reliable, easy to use and difficult to circumvent. If a coin acceptor/rejecter jams easily, it results in expensive service calls. In addition, the coin acceptor/rejecter must be convenient for the user to insert coins into the machine. And, of course, the coin acceptor/rejecter must be tamper resistant to minimize the problem of users that attempt to beat the coin acceptance and collection system.
Regarding reliability, over the years coin acceptor/rejecters have evolved to be smaller and more efficient. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,349 describes a coin separator/rejecter that can efficiently separate coins in a small footprint and with a minimum number of moving parts.
One disadvantage of coin-operated machines is that they are not equally convenient for all users to operate. The entry portals for coins are dimensioned to accept coins of the desired diameter and width. Accordingly, the slots are narrow, making them difficult for certain persons with disabilities, such as those who are blind or visually impaired, to operate the machines or appliances. In addition, the narrow slots can be difficult to locate and use in areas that are dark or dimly lit.
Another common problem for owners or operators of such systems is the act of tampering with the coin acceptor/rejecter to obtain free products or services. For example, some users attempt to trigger the mechanism without the use of coins by, for example, pouring liquids into the coin race. Another type of tampering involves packing or stuffing the coin acceptor/rejecter mechanism with a blocking element, such as a straw or wad of paper in such a way as to block the coin race above the coin acceptance portion of the collection system, allowing blocked coins to accumulate in the mechanism for later retrieval.
Other users employ slugs or low-value coins, such as pennies, to obtain services or products. In this method, the user takes advantage of the lack of control over the speed and angle of the coin entering the acceptor. Drop acceptors, which have been on the market for decades, are particularly susceptible to this problem. Other attempts to control the coin inlet include, for example, blocking off the inlet area completely from a direct coin insertion into the race, or inserting the coin from the side. However, this is an undesirable solution because it is not user-friendly. These solutions are not intuitive because they vary from the normal operation of coin-operated devices. In addition, such solutions result in a slower insertion of coins into the coin race.
One particularly troubling example of taking advantage of the lack of control over the speed and angle of the coin entering the race is the penny-flipping method. In this method, the user holds the penny at the top and positions the penny in the coin entry slot. With the finger of the other hand, the user then flicks the bottom edge of the penny, making the penny enter the coin race at an upward angle and at a higher than normal speed, thereby catching the accept area of the acceptor or otherwise missing the initial coin rejection pathway.
Tampering results in numerous undesired consequences. The owner's profit is reduced because products or services are taken for little or no money. Customers lose money or are unable to receive the purchased product. In addition, the tampering often results in damage to the coin acceptor/rejecter itself, either from the tampering or by the actions of frustrated customers. Methods and apparatuses designed to inhibit the ability to tamper with coin acceptor/rejecters are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,470 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,399.
Thus, while the efficiency and reliability of coin acceptor/rejecters have increased, there exists a need for improvements in the ease of use and tamper resistance of coin acceptor/rejecter mechanisms.